If the allegations against Mitchell Pearce are proved and he is rubbed out of the opening State of Origin match, NSW is likely to have a new five-eighth as well as halfback when the team is announced next Tuesday.

After last week imposing two-match bans on Blues under-20s players Mitchell Moses and Matt Lodge, the NRL would appear to have little choice but to take action against Pearce, or stand accused of a massive overreaction to what was effectively the use of offensive language by the teenage duo.

From a NSW point of view, the sooner any decision is made the better, as Blues coach Laurie Daley can't afford another series disrupted by the loss of key players due to the demon drink and the availability of Pearce may impact on other selections.

Advertisement

Should Pearce be suspended, the tenuous grip James Maloney has on the NSW No.6 jersey will also be loosened as their combination for the Sydney Roosters is one of the main reasons he got the nod last year.

Maloney became the Blues five-eighth after joining the Roosters last season, but his predecessor for NSW was Pearce's 2010 and 2011 Roosters scrum-base partner, Todd Carney.

Not half bad: South Sydney's Adam Reynolds was the City halfback. Photo: Getty Images

The 27-year-old Maloney had appeared likely to retain the position after his performance for the Roosters in Friday night's defeat of Wests Tigers and the failure of any candidate to jump out from the pack in the recent City-Country match.

However, if Pearce is stood down, Daley may opt to go for a different club combination, with South Sydney's Adam Reynolds and John Sutton, or Canterbury's Trent Hodkinson and Josh Reynolds the obvious options.

Sutton and Josh Reynolds have been two of the main contenders battling it out with Maloney for the five-eighth job and both were in the extended NSW squad last season, while Reynolds made his debut from the interchange bench.

Josh Reynolds is also in contention for the bench utility role, as he is able to deputise for hooker Robbie Farah, while Sutton can play in the back row.

The form of Adam Reynolds and Hodkinson may help decide who is the NSW five-eighth, with the former having been considered Pearce's back-up for some time and the latter having returned to his best to lead the Bulldogs to the top of the NRL ladder after six consecutive wins.

Adam Reynolds and Hodkinson are top-line goalkickers, making it easier for Daley to discard Maloney if he believes selecting a club combination would be beneficial to the Blues hopes of ending Queensland's eight-year Origin domination.

Wests Tigers rookie Luke Brooks looks like NSW's best long-term halfback option, but it is universally agreed that to throw him into the Origin cauldron now could be a setback to his development.

Regardless of the circumstances, Pearce's omission would make his many detractors happy as he is one of the most maligned players in the NRL, for reasons that are unclear.

During the five Origin series in which Pearce has represented NSW, no outstanding candidate has emerged to take his place and successive coaches Craig Bellamy, Ricky Stuart and Laurie Daley have all believed he was the best man for the job.

Critics were upset that Daley even came out before the start of last season and declared Pearce would be the Blues halfback, but he appeared to have finally demonstrated why so much faith had been invested in him over the years by helping the Roosters to the minor premiership and grand final double – feats that no other NSW halfback candidate has achieved since Matt Orford led Manly to the 2008 title.

Of more concern should be the fact one of NSW's senior players was arrested and is under police investigation on the eve of Origin.

The doubts over Pearce follow the two-match ban imposed last year on prop James Tamou, which included Origin II, for high-range drink driving and the standing down of Blake Ferguson after he was charged with indecent assault in the lead up to the same match after the Blues had won the series opener.

The NRL last week imposed two-match bans on Moses for calling Queensland under-20s lock Luke Bateman a "f---ing gay c---" and Lodge for wearing strapping tape on his wrist that said "be a ruthless c---".

While Moses was charged with breaching the NRL's anti-vilification code, Bateman is not gay and later told him during a phone conversation, in which the Tigers playmaker apologised, that he hadn't thought anything of the on-field sledge so Moses was effectively suspended for the same reason as Lodge, who has worn strapping tape with the same message in every Holden Cup match this season without complaint.

37 comments

Pearce is maligned 'for reasons that are unclear'? A review of his performance against the Tigers last round provides a good summary of the clear reasons. He put up high kick after kick straight to the Tigers' backs, giving rookie Tigers fullback Kurtis Rowe confidence-building practice at easily taking and returning kicks. He threw intercept passes that only the Tigers' poor performance on the night failed to convert to points. He capped it off by bombing a certain try, dropping an easy pass from Sonny Bill cold, 30 metres out with the Tigers line wide open. If Pearce plays for NSW in anything like that form, pencil in a series whitewash to Qld now.

Commenter

rudy

Date and time

May 12, 2014, 2:19PM

I think you've hit upon what is perhaps the most glaring difference between the two sides in recent Origins - their kicking games. Cronk and Thurston are so consistent and effective in both their sort and long kicking games, while Pearce in particular regularly appears rushed and constantly hands the ball to Slater on a platter. NSW has to improve this aspect of their game if they are going to have any chance of winning, and this should inform the slection of the halves to a considerable degree.

Commenter

GLAT

Location

Croydon Park

Date and time

May 12, 2014, 4:30PM

I had to wipe the coffee of my screen after having read the line "for reasons that are unclear". He is the reason the blues have lost the last three origin series. Yes he is good in defence and tries really hard. Does some good things when big forwards are running off him too, but none of that detract from the fact he constantly picks the wrong options, especially in the big moments. He throws intercepts, drops the ball, passes it forward or puts up a useless kick. How many chances does a losing halfback deserve?? He wasn't the reason the roosters won last year, it was SBW. When SBW wasn't playing well in the first half, they were behind. As soon as he switched on, they won. SBW makes any halfback look good.

Commenter

So Happy

Location

Sydney

Date and time

May 12, 2014, 5:46PM

As a Rooster's fan, I would be quite happy if both Pearce and Maloney miss out on Origin. Take the Souths or Dogs pair.

Commenter

Growler

Location

The Couch

Date and time

May 12, 2014, 3:09PM

So you were happy with Pearce's form against the Tigers? I reckon with a better halves pairing, the Roosters could've put on 50. Pearce and Maloney blew 20 points between them with bombed tries and missed goals.

Commenter

alto

Date and time

May 12, 2014, 3:57PM

I'm a Roosters fan but I agree with that Alto. The number of unnecessary passes almost directly to opposition players, dropped balls and missed kicks seriously flattered the Tigers.

I honestly hope they're not wearing Blue this year... they're just not up to Origin standard.

Commenter

Dan

Date and time

May 12, 2014, 4:50PM

Alto, don't think you will find Growler, any chooks fan, Pearce, Maloney or Trent Robinson were happy with Friday night. Pearce amongst others have been ordinary this year.Happy for none of the roosters to be picked for origin. Either Reynolds/Hodkinson are up to it or they aren't. Considering A Reynolds has gone missing in any big game i have seen him play suggests not, will be happy enough to be proven wrong if they give him a crack. The fact is no nsw halves have been able to hold a candle to their qld counterparts since Johns and Fittler. The same could also be said for any number of positions.

Commenter

ApeGotFire

Date and time

May 12, 2014, 5:27PM

Well Alto, prior to Friday night, Maloney had missed 2 from 30 for the season. I will take that along with a 1 in 8 off game with the boot.

The Chooks do not get any byes for Origin. Obviously, any Chooks fan would be happy to have Pearce and Maloney in the team ahead of the next best 6 and 7 at the club (Mortimer and Hastings perhaps).

Pearce's ball to Cordner won the game at Brisbane. Pearce and Maloney are one of the better club pairings. Perhaps DCE and Foran are the best.

Commenter

Growler

Location

The Couch

Date and time

May 12, 2014, 6:55PM

Take the Bulldogs pair for Origin 1, if that doesn't work - take the Souffs pair for origin 2 and if that doesn't work then take the GC pair for origin 3... I would also be glad for the Chooks to be left alone. Time for other clubs to pull their weight in Origin. Don't bother with Manly though - as with the Lyons case, they will get out of it when push comes to shove...

Commenter

Enmore Chook

Location

Sydney

Date and time

May 13, 2014, 11:11AM

I'd be happy to go with those club combinations. I don't think Reynolds-Reynolds would work well enough, but Hodkinson-Sutton might.

Here's a thought though, for the bench spot. Albert Kelly has been talked about on the fringe as a halfback option. I don't think he's there at this point, but given his speed and skills I am sure he could cover any backline position as well as hooker. I don't think those big slow Qld forwards would appreciate him coming on with 10 mins to go in either half. If you go with Sutton - A. Reynolds combination, Sutton could shift to lock while Kelly has a crack at the tired forwards or he could give farah a rest and daart out of dummy half if farah's match fitness was down a bit after being out a few weeks.